Roberts’ behaviour reason not to support legalising marijuana’

IF there is any move to legalise marijuana in this country, the recent antics by Sport Minister Anil Roberts is good reason not to support it, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday.

Speaking at a news conference at the Office of the Opposition Lea­der at Charles Street, Port of Spain, Rowley said he was told this by someone yesterday.

Last week TV6 News aired a video in which a man who looks and speaks like a Government minister was captur­ed rolling a marijuana joint.

In response to questions by the media last week surrounding the video, Roberts said he wanted Rowley to know no “video” or “voodoo” would stop him from telling the population Rowley was the worst thing to happen to Trini­dad and Tobago.

On Monday, when again approached by the media on the issue of the video, Roberts instead raised questions about Rowley and the People’s National Movement’s public relations officer, Faris Al-Rawi.

Roberts asked whe­ther Rowley was prepared to answer allegations made against him back in Tobago in 1969. He said when Rowley is ready to take a DNA “paternity test”, he (Roberts) would take a drug test.

Rowley was yesterday asked to respond to Roberts’s latest statement. “Somebody told me something this morning. I should tell you that if there was any move to legalise marijuana in Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Roberts’ behaviour is good reason not to support that move,” Rowley said.

“Any call to me from Mr Roberts is a distraction from the matter in front of him and the country. I can tell you without fear of contradiction I don’t know where Mr Roberts was, but I was never in Room 201 with any Colombian prostitutes interfering with any substance in or out of any cigarette, so I think he is misplacing me,” he said.

“With respect to his call for a DNA test, if he has any problem with the paternity of his children, it is not my problem. I have nothing to prove there,” Rowley said.